(Epitaph)

Grade: B+

Try pissing off the record industry with your attitude - then ask the same people whose toes you stepped on to release your record. It probably won't happen. Unless you're 19 year-old Devon Williams of the punk trio Osker, that is. After the group's thrashing first release, Treatment 5, fans and enemies were left to wonder what would come next. By criticizing everyone from its devoted followers to record executives, Osker managed to weed out the true fans from the faint of heart with its hard-hitting songs and attitude to match.

Leaving the brash temper behind for the new record, Williams was able to produce 14 tracks of raw energy with melodies that keep the harsh edges of each song from cutting the listener on Idle Will Kill. Osker took the attitude and energy from its live performances and focused it in on the music instead of a room full of people, leaving the listener with a sincere and emotional 45 minutes of awesome music.

The songs are filled with a conversational tone of despair and stories about conquering life's little battles:

"Hello stepping stone/ Wipe that smug look off your face/ Well, I know I can't/ A quick stab back in the face; a hit when your down," from "The Mistakes You Make."

Although the group may come off as being young and na•ve, the music speaks of something else entirely - of a group of musicians that make music that would rival that of the more established bands today.